Nature. Mindfulness. Inspiration. Life.

A Tale of Three Collectors (and 10 Crucial Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Stuff)

A couple of years ago, I met a distant, elderly relative who collected owls. Not live ones, of course, but owl figurines, stuffed animal owls, owl paperweights, owl kitchen tools, stained glass owls, owl magnets--hundreds of variations of miniature owls were perched all over her small apartment. Big eyes and little beaks surrounded me! It was a mini museum, and I have to admit, I was completely charmed by it. Not only had she lovingly searched out her "pets", but everyone who knew her was aware of her owl-love, so she often received owl gifts. She lived alone, and her owls surrounded her with a sense of peace, love, happiness, and comfort.

My seven-year-old daughter is currently collecting business cards. (Yep, business cards.) Whenever we leave a restaurant, museum, or store, she looks for that certain spot near the front door where they stash the business cards, and I can see her face light up when she walks away with a little, white rectangle in her hand. She's "souveniring." The cards are something free that she can take home with her to remind her of the place.

When I was in college, I knew a young woman whose grandmother was a renowned art collector. That grandmother had traveled around Europe in the 1930's, and amassed a collection of work from famous painters and sculptors who were not famous at the times when she met them. She started to collect just because she loved their work, but because she had a knack for spotting great art, she became one of the world's leading authorities in early 20th century art. When she died, half of her collection was auctioned off by Sotheby's for 80 million dollars (!!!), and the other half was bequeathed to various major museums.

Three very different collectors, no? The owl collector was amassing her stash purely out of her fondness for owls. My business-card-collecting daughter is amassing business cards because they're free souvenirs that she doesn't have to spend her allowance on. The art collector had a passion (and talent) that turned into one of the key ways in which she defined herself.

Most of us have collected something at some point in our lives--stamps, coins, jewelry and so forth. But unless you're a candidate for "Hoarders" who has some sort of psychological "need" to collect (or the inability to control your purchases and keep your stuff in check), here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. Why are you collecting what you're collecting? Be honest with yourself: Is it for the thrill of the hunt, or do the things continue to make you happy long after you've purchased them?

2. Can you honestly afford to keep up this collection? Remember how on "Sex and the City", Carrie Bradshaw was going broke because she was buying designer shoes? How much does each one of your things cost? Is your collection going to lead you to a debt collector? Are you eventually going to sell this collection for profit? If so, are you sure there's a market for it?

3. Is what you're collecting a firetrap or pest attracter? If it's made of paper, natural fibers, dried flowers, or other things that were once alive, assess the risks of keeping it in your house. If moths or mice might like to nibble on it, are you really sure you want it?

4. Is it creating more work for you? Do you have to dust it, polish it, organize it, or maintain it regularly? And if you're not cleaning it regularly, is it building up a layer of grime? (Glass objects in particular have this problem.) Your collection shouldn't just be collecting dust.

5. What's going to happen to your collection? Remember the old saying, "you can't take it with you"? Are you collecting things that your children or friends will want to inherit? (Have you actually asked them, or are you assuming they'll want it?) Is your stuff going to wind up at a garage sale, on eBay, or (worst of all) at the dump? How do you feel about that?

6. Do you really have the room for it? I have a collection of my father's old books, but since I got it when I was single and living in a studio apartment in Manhattan, I had to choose forty of my favorites and sell the rest. It was gut-wrenching at the time, but I just didn't have the space, and as a result, I treasure the books that I do have. Consider your living space and if your collection is encroaching upon it.

7. If it's something you've been collecting for a long time, are you still passionate about it? Would you spend the same amount of money on it today? If not, give somebody else a chance to feel the early thrill of ownership.

8. Can you collect memories instead of stuff? Can you just take photographs or write in journals about your experiences and adventures?

9. Could your collection be negatively affecting your health? This is a biggie! If you suffer from allergies or asthma, think twice about the stuff you're letting into your house to collect dust and possibly compromise your respiratory health.

10. Can you resist the urge to buy more for your collection? Are you a shopaholic? Will you ever consider your collection complete, or is it a never-ending quest for more and more stuff?

It all brings me back to those owls. They were a source of pure joy to their owner. Every single day, she looked upon them with fondness and smiled. How many collections in your home fit that description?

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How 'bout you? What do you collect, and why? Let's hear it in the comments section. I'm all ears!

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, check out these other posts that are right up the same alley: